Hello 2011

As my 2010 season wrapped up in early December, I decided to take an extended break from training, which apparently carried over to updating my blog.  My body & mind were fairly fried coming off a long season and I enjoyed a much needed break.  The holidays were spent catching up with my family in Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio.  Always great to see my family while embarking in some bowling, sledding, snowball fights & competitve games of Apples to Apples Jr.

Training resumed the first of the year and has been going well.  I really get a kick out of the rebuilding process and finding some base fitness after a long break.  My long bike is up to three hours with my longest run at one hour.  Any intensity has come during some of my swim sessions, but Coach Z will slowly begin introducing some quality with the bike and run this week.  Last weekend I had the pleasure of presenting/speaking at the 6th annual ICTN/FCA-E training camp in Tucson.  We had about 50-55 athletes attending from various parts of the US and Canada.  Great time indeed & I highly recommend this camp to anyone looking to boost their spiritual & physical strength!  The last three years this camp has been an effective way for me to capture a theme for my racing/training while keeping the focus on Christ.

As many people know, Team Sport Beans/NTTC will not be returning for 2011.  I have been diligently seeking new sponsors and have lined myself up with a stellar group of companies.  You will see me sporting the Skin Strong (chamois cream & anti-chafing spray) colors while racing along with Valdora & Max Muscle Nutrition Boulder.  I am pleased to remain with Spira (running shoes) and Rudy Project (sunglasses & helmets).  New sponsors include Thorlos (socks), Emergen-C, BareSkin towels and PowerBalance.  To recieve 20% off your online purchase of any sized BareSkin towel use this code: SENG20.  Their towels are great for every day use at the pool or gym and super convenient for travel.  I have one or two more companies in the works and will update as things are finalized.

My speaking engagements have been keeping me busy beyond triathlon & coaching.  I absolutely dig meeting the students and sharing insightful discussion about making healthy lifestyle choices.  As I encourage the students here are three simple things you can do each day to experience true freedom & peace:

1.  Laugh - either at yourself or a friend.  Laughter is medicine for the soul.
2.  Be thankful for one thing - gift of good health, the roof over your head, chocolate chip cookies, etc.
3.  Be your best & dream big - God's gift to us is our potential, what we decide to do with it is our gift to God.

Wishing you a healthy & happy 2011!

Keep it smooth,
Brad